Since 2015, the Andrew Carnegie Fellows Program has supported premier scholars, journalists, authors, and public intellectuals tackling society’s most critical challenges. Each fellowship provides significant research stipends, allowing recipients to dedicate their time and focus on groundbreaking projects that safeguard democratic institutions worldwide.
Beginning with the 2027 cohort, the program is expanding its scope to examine global perspectives, asking what the U.S. can learn from how other nations experience, resist, or reverse polarization.
Priority Research Areas
- Populism & Polarization: Uncover how populist movements intersect with and exacerbate societal divides.
- Resilience & Reversal: Examine how other democracies have successfully curbed, resisted, or recovered from extreme polarization.
- Critical Tipping Points: Identify key conditions, such as civic trust, economic opportunity, information environment health, and the rule of law, that determine whether polarization fades or escalates into systemic violence.
Ball State Internal Nomination Process
Because institutional nomination is required, Ball State will conduct an internal review to select our nominees.
- Internal Deadline: Wednesday, September 25, 2026, by 11:59 PM
- Submission Portal: Complete your application via Ball State InfoReady
- Required Documents:
- A 3-page Research Prospectus
- A 3-page CV or Resume
Selected nominees will be notified in early October to finalize and submit their full applications to the Carnegie Foundation by the November deadline.